Burnley boss Dyche won't get bogged down by winless sequences

The Clarets endured a spell of 11 top flight games without a win last term yet ended the term perched just outside the division's top six.

They're seven league games without a win at present when stretching over the crevice to the previous campaign, 12 in all competitions, but Dyche isn't getting bogged down with sequences.

Burnley haven't won since beating Leicester City in April but the Turf Moor chief said: “The challenge of the Premier League is never ending, there are no gimmes.

"I’ve said that many times, there are no guarantees and we’ve got to earn everything at Burnley Football Club.

“Whatever the run is, it’s irrelevant. It’s about whatever the next game is and that’s the most important one.

“There’s no more importance on the Fulham game as there is on any other Premier League game.

“People talk about runs, but we went 11 without a win last season and finished seventh, so to go two without a win is not exactly drastic times.”

Club captain Tom Heaton made his first competitive start in almost 12 months in Greece on Thursday as the Clarets faced Olympiakos.

The 32-year-old dislocated his shoulder against Crystal Palace at Turf Moor, which saw his hopes of travelling with England to the World Cup in Russia dashed.

Dyche shared a glowing reference of the goalkeeper's response to such a significant setback and was pleased to see him back between the sticks.

"It was good to see him back out there," he said. "He needed competitive football, we knew that. Joe Hart has come in and done really well.

“We wanted to get Tom some competitive football, so this has been very good for him.

“He’s been good. He’s a top pro Tom, a top pro. He knows the things he has to do to be right.

"He understands the game and the profession, not just the game, but the profession. So he’s in good shape, mentally and physically. He’s a great character Tom and he’s only looking forward.”